


Marry the Night

by Sidi



Series: Bad Romance [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Canon Universe, Heavy Angst, Keith and Lance actually interact in this one, Keitor, M/M, Manipulation, Mind Control, klance, some violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-05
Updated: 2018-04-06
Packaged: 2019-03-13 20:17:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13578183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sidi/pseuds/Sidi
Summary: Keith faces new dangers that he never imagined at the same time as figuring out that not everything is solved by going home, that figuring out who you are is difficult, and that it is not easy to get someone out of your head once they are there.





	1. I'm a Solider to My Own Emptiness

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third and final installment of the Bad Romance series. Thanks so much for sticking with me. Again, the kudos, comments, and views mean so much to me and finishing this series also means a lot to me.

Keith curls up in his bed, pulling the covers over his head and ignoring the thoughts racing through his head. He feels sick, his heart is racing, and he can’t sleep. The fact that Lotor was somehow able to contact him even in this situation makes him feel like he hasn’t really escaped at all.

So he finally gives up and walks out of his room. He avoids the training room, the lounge, the kitchen. He considers knocking on someone’s door, but quickly decides against it. There is really only one place that he feels drawn to at the moment anyway.  

He finds himself there almost without realizing how he got there, drawn like a moth to a light.  

He walks into the dark hangar and looks at the lions standing there. They are silent and still. Keith feels better anyway. The lions, Voltron, all of it always made him feel safer. He walks over to the red lion, but doesn’t try to enter him. He feels happy that he can feel a flicker of the lion’s energy when he gets close though. It feels like an old friend. The flicker is faint though and he senses a hesitation that hadn’t been there before, when he piloted the lion and even when Lance took over.

After standing for a moment, part of him wants to just walk away and go back to bed, but he feels drawn to the black lion. The black lion looms, huge and regal, intimidating in a way the red lion never was.

He knows it is immature, but there is a part of him that blames this lion for what happened. It doesn’t make sense. It is his own fault for trusting Lotor. But, he feels like if the black lion had never chosen him, then he wouldn’t have come under the attention of Lotor. He feels bitter that the lion didn’t immediately take Shiro back. It is ridiculous and petty.  

He is just looking for someone or something else to blame when he knows it is all his fault. He let Lotor in. He is the one who fucked up. It is his fault for tricking the lion into thinking he deserved to fly it.

He looks up at the black lion and there is a flicker there as well with the same hesitance as the red lion. Keith cringes, realizing why with a start.

He knows he isn’t a paladin anymore, but now he knows that the lions know that as well. They are hesitant because he is in here, close to them, and they can sense all the ways in which he failed as a paladin, as a person. He curls into himself, crossing his arms, looking up at the lion and suddenly cold in the dark and shadowy hangar.

A noise behind him makes him jump. He turns quickly, hand going for his dagger, only to see Shiro standing behind him. He wonders how he missed his footsteps.

“Shiro…”

“What are you doing in here?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Standing around in the hangar isn’t going to help you sleep. Why don’t you go to bed and rest for tomorrow?”

His words are even and neutral. His face is blank. It makes Keith’s chest ache. He wishes he could ask for a hug or even a Shiro hand on the shoulder.  

“I am sorry, Shiro…”

“What exactly are you apologizing for?”

“For this mess, for not being here when you guys needed me, for…”

“We made do. Allura is flying the blue lion now and doing amazing. So is Lance in the red lion. We are stronger than ever lately.”

Keith blinks. “That’s good.” And maybe it is. Maybe it is a good thing that he left if he was holding Voltron back.

“Now you should get back to your room and rest.”

The request is reasonable. It isn’t the first time Shiro has told him to relax or rest in life. But there is something cold in it as well. It feels wrong.

When Keith goes to follow him out of the hangar, he doesn’t miss the way that Shiro hesitates, slipping behind him rather than walking in front of him.  

At some point, he does pass out in his room despite his racing thoughts. In the morning, he leaves his room, determined to do one thing before going to have breakfast. He makes his way downstairs to the prisoner’s quarter. Most of the cells aren’t activated, dark and empty with no forcefield turned on. Only the biggest one near the middle has an occupant.

He walks over to it, ready to make sure that Ezor has what she needs and is comfortable in her cell. He peers into the cell and finds it empty. He gasps, pressing against the forcefield. There really are no places for a prisoner to hide, especially for one as large and colorful as Ezor. The bed is small and low to the ground. There is little else in the cell. The small bathroom door is open and shows a toilet and small sink, but no place for Ezor to hide.

“Oh my god,” Keith whispers, wondering if she had really escaped and he would be responsible for leading a general right into the heart of Voltron or if maybe someone had taken her for questioning, which didn’t make him feel comfortable either.

Then, all of a sudden Ezor’s face appears in front of his own. He jumps backwards, crying out.  

She laughs loudly, bending over to hold her stomach.

“What the fuck…” Keith says, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You should have seen the look on your face. When are you going to stop forgetting that I can camouflage myself?”

“Why?”

“I heard you coming down the stairs and thought I would play a prank. Come to think of it, I am glad it was you and not the black one. He looks like he wants to kill me.”

“That wasn’t funny.”

“It was for me!”

She turns around and plops down on the bed.

“Why are you so happy?”

“Well, I mean, it could be worse. The Galra aren’t exactly nice to their captives. Like, you guys gave me a comfortable cell with a bed and fed me and even gave me some entertainment. I am not being raped or tortured and Lotor isn’t here to slit my throat. So, all things considered, it could be worse?”

She holds up a tablet.

“It isn’t connected to any network, but it has a lot of books and comics and a few games. I haven’t read the Bercy Backson series since I was a little girl and all 1000 books are on here, Keith. All of them!”

“Ezor…I will try to get you out of here so you can read them out of a cell.”

“I know. But, Keith, understand where your team is coming from. Because I do.”

He nods and then leaves with the promise to come back soon for a visit.

He makes his way to the kitchen next. Everyone is already there and the room immediately falls silent when he walks in. He stops for a minute, swallowing hard, and then makes his way to get some goo.

“Keith! Glad to see you up, man.”

It is, surprisingly, Lance who looks genuinely happy to see him there.

“Yeah…” he laughs nervously, glancing across the table. The facial expressions range from happy to neutral. It had never occurred to Keith that not everyone would be happy to see him back. He gets it though. There is a lot they need to talk about.   

He begins to sit down at the far end of the table away from everyone else, feeling unwelcome and awkward, but Lance won’t have it, telling him to sit next to him. So he does.

“I’m ready to answer questions if anyone has them,” Keith offers.  

“You don’t have to. You just got back…” Hunk says.

“I think the sooner the better,” Shiro says.

“I mean, he might have information that can help us…” Pidge says.

“But he just got back…” Lance responds.

“It is up to Keith I think…” Allura adds.

Everyone is talking too much again and Keith stares at his bowl of goo.

“I think we should question him immediately and possibly use the lab,” Shiro says.  

Keith’s head jerks up, surprised. They had certain tactics for questioning people that would be more intensive than just asking. They could even try to extract memories from someone. But, that is usually because the person is unconscious or a prisoner, a bad guy. Like Sendak.

He puts his spoon down, suddenly not hungry.

“Whatever you guys think is best,” he says. And it is true. If there is anything they want cleared up, he will do it.  

“I don’t think we need the lab to question him. And we can start slow. Is that alright, Keith?” Allura asks.  

Keith nods.

“Do you know where Lotor is right now?” Shiro asks.

“We are trying to finish breakfast right now…” Lance says, staring at Shiro.

“Some of this information could be important to Voltron, to the war. It is urgent that we know some of it immediately to see if we need to plan an attack. Keith may have valuable information and he has already expressed that he is willing to answer questions,” Shiro explains.

Keith nods again. “I want to help. It is fine. Lotor was close to the planet where Pidge found us. He could have easily moved from that position since then though. We were not on a planet and most of the time I was not allowed to move around a lot to get a sense of location.”

“How did you escape?” Shiro asks.

“Ezor helped me. We both used a pod.”

“So you managed to escape on a pod when Lotor had his actual battleship?”

“I don’t think he knew I was gone right away.”

“Why did Ezor betray him?”

“Because Lotor is crazy? He killed one of his other generals, Narti, for betraying him, but I am not even sure she actually betrayed him.”

There is a moment of silence.

“Listen, I don’t know much…most of what I know is guesswork or what Ezor has told me.”

“That is convenient,” Shiro says.  

“Excuse me?” Keith responds, searching Shiro’s face.  

Just then, a blaring alarm rings out. Allura jumps up along with everyone else.

“Paladins, we are under attack!” Coran yells. It is familiar and distant at the same time. Keith immediately jumps up, starting to run with them before he remembers.

Oh.

So he stops and watches them run, going out to the lions. Coran comes over and asks him to go to the central command area with him. There isn’t much else he can do. He could use another ship to try to help, but he might just get in the way.

There is a huge Galra ship and seemingly endless smaller ships. It is a familiar sight. He crosses his arms, concerned, but he knows they can do it. They are working together well. He watches as Allura easily takes out ship after ship. Lance uses the red lion to dart in, serving as a distraction before darting back out for Hunk to blast many ships at once. He mostly can’t see Pidge, but when he does he knows she is using her cloaking device and stealth to take out ships without even being seen by the enemy. And, the black lion is a tank, taking down anything in its path.

There is a little bit of sadness that he isn’t out there with them. However, he mostly feels overwhelming pride. They look like a team, a real team. This team is one that can save the entire universe.  

Coran occasionally asks him something as he watches the battle and gauges the scope of what is happening. Keith responds even though he knows Coran is mostly being kind, seeing how upset Keith is that he can’t help more directly.

The smaller ships are no issue. However, the bigger ship is a problem. It has a forcefield and a blast that would take down any of the individual lions. He hears Shiro call for them to form Voltron. Keith holds his breath. He had always liked this part, the part where he got to connect to the others so intimately. Where he felt like a family unit working together. He knows what he is about and his normal battle tactic is to fight alone. But it felt alright to give up independence when something as powerful as Voltron was forming, especially since his family was there with him. He watches as Voltron begins to form, each lion falling into place, creating the body. He grins as it comes together.

Then it trembles.

And falls apart.

The smile drops from Keith’s face. “What happened?”

“I don’t know!” Coran exclaims.  

They watch again as the team tries to form Voltron. They don’t even get as connected this time, only barely starting to form the shape before separating again. A blast from the big Galra ship sends Hunk and Allura spinning out into space.

“Give me a ship. I am going out there,” Keith yells, unable to just watch as his teammates struggle.

“That isn’t a good idea. Trust them,” Coran responds.

In a second, he sees Lance darting close to the ship, crashing into it and taking out one of the bigger blasters.

“That idiot…” Keith mumbles even though it is something he would have done. Pidge is on the other side, attacking something underneath the ship that makes the ship list to the side. Slowly, surely, they work on the bigger ship. Shiro finishes it off, a quick attack to the head of the ship that leaves it crashing into space.

They come back to the castle which wormholes to safety. Keith shakily runs to the hangar. Hunk and Allura had been caught in one of the blasts and their lions look banged up. Keith stands by and watches as everyone gets out, relieved to see Hunk and Allura shaken, but not seriously injured. He watches Lance pat Allura on the back and Pidge look at Hunk’s arm.  Shiro walks over a moment later, saying something to the team that Keith can’t hear before turning and looking at Keith. The others do as well.

Keith flushes and feels out of place, like he is watching something that he shouldn’t be watching. Like this is no longer a moment he is welcome to participate in.   

Shiro walks up to him.

“What happened…” he starts to ask before being interrupted.

“We are going to question you now, in the lab,” Shiro says curtly, cutting him off.

Keith walks numbly beside him, following him into the area that is sometimes used as a medical bay, but also has most of the devices that may be used in an interrogation. Which, Keith is starting to understand that this is what this is-an interrogation, not just answering questions. The others follow behind them, Lance and Hunk whispering to one other, Pidge looking nervous. Shiro sits him down at a table and tries to tell the others to go, especially Hunk and Allura who could have been injured.  

“No, this is something that involves all of us. We should all be here and Hunk and I are fine,” Allura responds. Everyone nods, taking a seat at the table too.

“Have you betrayed Voltron?” Shiro asks point blank.

It isn’t the question he is expecting or a question that even makes sense to him.  

“What the fuck…”

“Just answer.”

“No. I would never. I couldn’t betray Voltron. Voltron is everything to me.”

“How did those Galra know where we were?”

“I have no idea. Sometimes they just find us.”

“Stop, Shiro! Keith wouldn’t betray us, ever. Look at him-he is too stubborn and bullheaded to betray anyone,” Lance exclaims.  

Keith feels incredible gratitude, smiling at Lance. Hunk and Pidge nod as well, looking uncomfortably at Shiro. Shiro stares at Lance for a moment and then sighs.    

“Pidge, what did you tell me earlier this morning?” Shiro asks.

She looks uncomfortable, guiltily looking at Keith before answering. 

“Last night, there was an unknown correspondence with Keith on a frequency I did not recognize. It was on the new device that had a new frequency that no one has except for the people currently in this room. I tried to track the unknown correspondence and I have reason to believe it was Lotor.”

There is a long stretch of silence.

“And then, suddenly, the Galra know where we are to attack us this morning,” Shiro says. 

Keith feels sick. “I didn’t give him our information. I didn’t even answer him. I don’t even know how he got that device’s information.”

“What did he say?” Allura asks.

“Just that he isn’t mad at me…”

“We could check that, but Keith immediately destroyed the device and the messages, right Pidge?” Shiro asks, eyeing Keith. 

She nods again.  

Keith opens and closes his mouth, unable to answer. “Pidge, you are telling me you can’t pull up that data to see what was said? To prove I didn’t give him any information?”

“I am working on it. It isn’t like our cellphones at home where I can immediately have access to someone’s cloud or account. But, I will be able to get the information eventually.”

“Do you see why this looks bad, Keith? There are rumors too. Are you aware of the rumors?” Shiro says.  

“All the rumors are fake. I didn’t join Lotor. I would never…”

“Pidge?” Shiro interrupts him again.

Pidge takes a shaky breath and looks at Allura who frowns in response. 

“Listen, Keith, it isn’t that we don’t trust you. But we do need to clear the air. You understand, right?” Allura says.

“Yes. Do whatever you want. Put me in a mind meld machine. Drug me. Extract my memories.”

“Pidge, go on, show him the rest,” Shiro prompts again.

Pidge takes out a tablet and brings up a picture. It is him and Lotor on some balcony. Lotor is leaning in, whispering something in his ear, while touching his arm. Keith winces. It looks intimate.  

“What about it? You know I was dating him.”

“This is supposedly a new picture, after you were kidnapped,” Shiro says, using air quotes around the word kidnapped.

“It isn’t new. It was before we were even officially dating.”

“Right. Pidge, the rest?”

Keith’s mouth drops at the next picture. It is him, walking beside Lotor while wearing Lotor’s general uniform.

“That isn’t…what it looks like. He made me wear that.”

“He made you? Then made you walk around his ship with him? Why didn’t you kill him? Or attack him? Or look distressed?” Shiro presses.  

“I was unarmed and drugged most of the time I was there.”

“You don’t look drugged in the picture,” Shiro responds.  

“That doesn’t matter. Plus it is one picture. We have all seen celebrities get caught in one bad, misleading moment before.” Lance sits back and crosses his arms across his chest, glaring at Shiro. Hunk looks down at the table, clenching and unclenching his hands.  

“You actually seem fine. No scars. No cuts or bruises. I think you have even gained weight. You look great for someone held in captivity as a prisoner for months,” Shiro presses on, ignoring Lance’s words.  

Keith bites his lip.

“I was there when Lotor kidnapped Keith!” Lance screams, slamming his hand down on the table.

“Did you see it happen?” Shiro asks.  

“What?” Lance responds.  

“Did you see him force Keith to stay on the ship with him? Did you see him cuff him or pin him to the ground? Because from what you described, Keith pushed you out a door and shut it.”

“No…I was running away, but…”

“Then how do you know he was forced?”

“Lotor was going to kill me and Keith saved my life. He allowed me to escape.”

“And how do you know that wasn’t on purpose to trick you…”

Keith can’t believe what he is hearing out of Shiro’s mouth.

Pidge barks with laughter. “Keith isn’t that type of person. Even if he did betray us, he wouldn’t concoct this elaborate plan to do so. He would just walk out and then try to blow us up with Lotor. ”

Keith looks at the table, anger and shame swirling. He understands why there are suspicions, but he feels betrayed. These were people who are supposed to be on his side, especially Shiro.

“Keith, there are a lot of rumors about you betraying Voltron all over the universe. And I don’t personally believe them, but we do need to talk about it,” Allura says cautiously.  

“Keith would never betray us,” Hunk speaks up. “I just don’t believe it.”  

“Why don’t we let Keith speak for himself?” Shiro says.

There is silence while everyone is looking at him. Keith takes a second and then finally opens his mouth. “Do you guys really think I would do something like that to you? To Voltron?” He can’t keep the hurt out of his voice.  

Lance looks angry, leaning forward. “No, I don’t think so, not for a second.” He glares at Shiro again.  

“Lance, don’t you think you are letting your emotions cloud your judgment right now?” Shiro says. Lance cringes and remains silent.

Shiro continues. “Hunk, didn’t you see Keith go visit Ezor this morning before even coming to see us?”

“Uh, yeah, but if what he is saying is true I don’t think that is suspicious. If she betrayed Lotor and helped him…”

“It just seems like he would be eager to see us though…”

“I am, but Ezor is on our side now and…” Keith tries to find the words to convince everyone.

“Even if she has betrayed Lotor that doesn’t mean that she is on Voltron’s side. She may just be on your side…” Pidge says, not making eye contact.

“That is true but she…she isn’t bad. She…”

“It is also convenient that you both just escaped in a simple pod. Isn’t it?” Shiro uses air quotes around the word escaped and Keith gapes at him. This also doesn’t seem real. He can’t believe Shiro would honestly think Keith betrayed them.   

Keith’s head is spinning and he looks down at the table, unable to answer again.

“The same could be said about your escape, couldn’t it Shiro?” Lance says. His voice is firm though Keith can see a slight tremble in his hand.

There is an unbearably long stretch of silence where they all uncomfortably look at the two men staring each other down.

Shiro is the first to break eye contact. “I see your point. But, we need to be careful. For all we know, Keith has been brainwashed or is betraying us without even realizing it. The Galra have tech and magic beyond our understanding.”

“Shiro…” Keith’s voice breaks.

“It isn’t personal, Keith. I am sure you understand. And there is the matter of the lions…” Shiro says.

“The lions?” Keith asks.

“You saw what happened when we tried to form Voltron.”

“I saw you not be able to create Voltron, but I didn’t see why and I have no idea why that would be my fault. I wasn’t even out there.”

Lance’s jaw is still clenched, staring at Shiro. Pidge looks off into the distance. Hunk is fiddling with his hands. Allura is looking at Keith though, assessing him.

“I saw you sneaking around the hangar last night,” Shiro says.  

“What? I was not sneaking…”

“You were there in the dark at night when everyone else was in bed. What is the definition of sneaking if not that?”

“I couldn’t sleep. And you saw me, I just stood there and looked at them.”

“Why?” Shiro presses him.

“Because I miss them! I miss Voltron!”

“Enough to sabotage it to get your way back in? Is that the goal here?”

“Shiro, why are you doing this? I would never…you KNOW me!” Tears prick his eyes.

“I am just saying we have had no issues forming Voltron until the day after you come back and I see you in the hangar with the lions at night alone.”

“And what? What do you think I did? I am not a mechanical genius like Hunk or Pidge. You would notice something wrong mechanically anyway. I am not good with magic like Allura or clever like Lance. What plan do you think I came up with to sabotage literal Voltron, the most powerful weapon in the universe?”

“Who knows? Maybe Lotor came up with a way…” Shiro wonders.

“I don’t think this was Keith,” Allura breaks in.  

“I agree,” Pidge says quickly.

“It felt like before when we weren’t connected to one another. Like, we weren’t in synch personality-wise. Not like something was keeping us from doing it,” Hunk adds.

“Maybe we were all just upset or distracted because Keith was back, like, not in a bad way but it was a big shock…” Lance offers.  

“I am just saying there are a lot of coincidences right now that coincide with Keith coming back,” Shiro says.  

“Then lock me up. If that is what you want then put me in a cell like Ezor,” Keith says.

There is another stretch of silence.

“I think that is a bit hasty. We trust you, Keith…” Allura says.

“It sure feels like it right now.”

“We just have to be careful,” Allura responds to him.   

“Why don’t we compromise and just lock him in his room until we figure things out?” Shiro says.  

“No. We don’t do that to family and Keith is family,” Lance responds.  

“I can’t say we need to lock Keith up…” Hunk adds.

“Though you agree there are suspicious circumstances…” Shiro says.  

“Yes, but there are also possible explanations for everything we see as suspicious,” Pidge responds.

“We are not locking up Keith…” Lance says.

“As senior officer and leader of Voltron, I am pulling rank here. We will keep Keith locked in his room until we figure some of this out. Just to be careful. And that is my final decision.”

Allura looks uneasy, glancing at the other paladins who look at her and then back at Shiro.

“I…” she starts then takes a deep breath. “I trust Keith, but I also trust Shiro’s instinct. We will keep Keith in his room just until we can figure this out.”

Lance stands up and immediately leaves the room. Keith watches him leave, dumbfounded.

Pidge and Hunk look at one another and then follow him.

Then he is being guided back to his room, an apologetic look on Allura’s face while Shiro grips his arm tightly.  

“Shiro…” he says as they get closer to the room. “You are like a brother to me…”

“And you to me. This isn’t personal. We don’t know what Lotor could have done to you in the last few months.”

Then he is in his room and a forcefield descends, one that transforms the rooms into a cell.

Keith trembles as he sits on the bed. He is in a different location, but still locked in a room. Still a prisoner.

Still alone.

Still himself.


	2. In My Fishnet Gloves, I'm a Sinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team questions Keith. Shiro and Lance are at odds while Keith struggles with the aftermath of his actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning-This is only a mild one and I considered not adding it, but it felt gross writing this scene so I feel like it might also make other people feel gross. If you are sensitive to abusive relationships and particularly victim blaming someone in an abusive relationship then be careful with this chapter and/or skip everything after this line in the chapter  
> "He is escorted to his room by Pidge, Hunk, and Lance and all but tucked in before they leave him." 
> 
> Holy crap I did not mean for this update to take this long. I actually have been sitting on a fairly completed draft for close to a month. There was one section that just would not work. So I kept trying to force it to work which is terrible and anyone with any writing knowledge or just common sense will tell you not to do that. So, I ended up moving that scene and now I think it is actually going to happen in Chapter 3 and makes more sense that way. Somehow, even moving that scene this still turned out to be a pretty long chapter. Sorry or maybe that will make some of you happy lol.

It is the next day when he hears three beeps before a weird buzzing noise. The forcefield that made his room a cell momentarily blips and he is surprised to see Pidge and Lance rush in quickly. They both look nervous, Pidge furtively looking back and forth down the hallway before stepping in, Lance rubbing the back of his neck, eyes darting toward the door even after its closed.

“You guys aren’t supposed to be here,” Keith says before either speaks.

“Shiro told us not to…” Lance starts.

“But we wanted to talk to you and we think it is bullshit to tell us that we can’t. Hunk wanted to come too, but we needed someone to keep an eye on Shiro. They are looking at some navigation system together right now. When I get a message on this,” Pidge holds up a small black device attached to her wrist, “it means it is time for me to leave and then Lance will have a few minutes while I ‘show Shiro something in my shop.’”  

Lance nods emphatically.

“This feels like a lot of effort just to see me behind Shiro’s back.”

Pidge brushes him off, crossing her arms. “Keith, how did Lotor get that number?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you sure you didn’t contact him? Message him just to say fuck you or something?”

“Absolutely. It’s not like I even have his contact information memorized or something. It was always just in my contacts list.”

“He had to have gotten it some way…”

“I don’t know what to tell you. Could he have planted a camera in here or something?”

“We have done so many scans. Nothing shows anything like that, in the Castle or on you.”

“Maybe you are missing it.”

Lance and Pidge look at each other.

“What about Ezor?” Lance asks.

“But even if it was Ezor she is in a cell. We fully searched her before she came here. How would she get the information out?” Pidge says.

Lance shrugs.   

“Just…can’t you get the messages and prove that I didn’t send him coordinates or anything?” Keith asks hopefully.

“I am trying,” Pidge answers.

“Do you think I betrayed everyone?” Keith tries to make it sound casual while simultaneously realizing he sounds anything but.

“No, of course not!” Lance answers quickly.

He smiles briefly at Lance, but doesn’t miss how Pidge looks to the side. He feels dread sinking in his stomach at the pause that follows.

“Pidge? Just be honest with me.”

“I think some of the circumstances are legitimately suspicious. However, according to my calculations, you are the least likely on the team to betray Voltron and, even though this is not based on facts, I don’t feel like you did,” Pidge responds finally.  

“Exactly! …wait. Why is he the least likely? Like, even over Hunk?” Lance turns toward Pidge.  

“Hunk is the second least likely. He is emotional and gets scared sometimes and I think that could be used against him. But, really, Keith and Hunk are the two least likely.”

“Oh come on, even…Allura? You think she would join the Galra like, ever?”

“Allura can use magic and we have seen how dark quintessence can corrupt people. We cannot guarantee that she couldn’t be corrupted in the same manner. There are different paths to evil, Lance and not all of them are actively choosing the dark side.”

“Wait a minute. Me? You think I am more likely to betray Voltron than Keith? Really?” He throws his arms in the air, turning to face Pidge directly.  

Pidge snorts.  “You are ridiculously insecure. One of the most likely to go dark side, to be honest.”

Lance gasps. “Oh come on! Keith is part-Galra doesn’t that count for something? Why is he ranked better than me??”

“Hey!” Keith exclaims.

“According to my notes and the parameters of my calculations, Keith’s reaction to his Galran background did not indicate a higher chance of betrayal.”  

Lance glares at her. “And what about you, oh wise and perfect one?” He points a finger at Pidge’s chest.  

“I have not left myself out of the calculations. I am close to you. They have family members of mine and there is a very slight chance that some appeal to science or logic might work, as well.”

“So basically any of us might betray Voltron,” Keith says, hoping to calm Lance down.  

Pidge nods. “But the odds are very low for all of us. I am not saying that my calculations are saying we are likely to betray Voltron. Just that, if there was a ranking, I would suspect certain members before others.”

“What about Shiro?” Lance asks quietly.  

“That is a complicated one…” Pidge trails off before continuing. “Look, I just cannot see Keith offering us up to the Galra, calculations or not.”

“Because I wouldn’t, ever,” Keith responds.   

A small beeping noise interrupts them, coming from Pidge’s wrist.

“Great, Lance. You took up all my time. I have to go. You know how much time you have. Keith…Would you let me scan my brain?”

“Uh…like, mind meld? Sure…”

“No, like, a medical scan.”

“Of course. Whatever you want.”  

She nods and then finally smiles. “It’s good to have you back.”  

And then she is gone, leaving a nervous Lance in front of Keith.   

 “So…” he says, playing with the edges of his jacket.

There is a moment of silence that stretches between them. There is too much to talk about, too much to say and neither knows quite where to start.

“There is something wrong with Shiro,” Lance finally blurts out.

Keith takes an anxious step forward. “Is he hurt? Should we…”

“No. I mean, like, there is something wrong with him for a long time now.”

“What do you mean?”

“He is strange. He gets angry. Really angry. And he makes bad decisions for us sometimes and…”

“Shiro has a lot on his shoulders right now. Has had a lot on his shoulders.  And leading is hard, Lance. You saw how much I sucked at it.”

“You didn’t though. Or, at least when you made bad decisions they were good bad decisions.”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“I mean, your bad decisions came from who you are as a person. You don’t think sometimes…you rush in without a plan. We know that about you and it makes sense for you to do it. When Shiro makes bad decisions…”

Lance looks uncomfortable, crossing his arms in a way that makes him look smaller than he is.

“When he makes bad decisions…?”

“Sometimes it feels like he is trying to hurt us.”

Keith blinks and then snorts. “Lance, that is ridiculous. No one cares more about protecting us than Shiro.”  

“He was sure quick to accuse you of betraying us.”

“For good reason.”

“Exactly what I sai…wait what?”

“I mean, I didn’t, but I can see why he thinks I might have.”

“No, no. I can’t, Keith.”

“I was dating the enemy. I am friends with all of his generals. I spent months alone with him.”

“What are you saying?”

“I am not saying anything. I didn’t betray Voltron. But I can see why it looks suspicious and it is Shiro’s job to keep Voltron safe. He is doing this to keep everyone safe.”

Lance is pacing now, looking agitated. “It isn’t right…I don’t care what you say.”

“Just, I want you guys to do whatever you need to do. Mind meld with me. Extract my memories. Do whatever it takes to prove my innocence. I have nothing to hide.”

Keith swallows as he says this, understanding that nothing to hide isn’t exactly true, mind going back to some intimate moments shared with Lotor. But he would sacrifice his privacy and perhaps the respect of his comrades to clear his name.  

Lance makes eye contact and nods once. He looks around the room for a second before taking a deep breath and walking closer.

“I know things have been hectic and you haven’t really had a chance to…settle in. How are you doing, really?”

“Fine, I’m fine,” Keith responds immediately, realizing just a moment too late that he answered a bit too quickly, a bit too loudly.

“It is ok if you aren’t. You know if you need to talk about anything at all, we…I am here.”

“I know. But right now, that isn’t what is important.”

Lance is looking around the room again, fidgeting again. Keith wants to grab him and tell him to calm down.  

“What is it?”

“I am sorry that I left you.”

“You don’t have to be sorry about that. I wanted you to leave. Lotor was planning on killing you, Lance.”

“But, still. I left you with him and he…” Lance drops off abruptly. “I am just sorry.”

“It makes sense from a practical point of view. Both of us weren’t going to get out of there. You could. And I wanted you to be safe. Lotor was my mistake.”

“Keith, yes, I know, but it doesn’t make sense from a…different point of view. I have seriously thought about that moment every night, how I just ran, and…and I shouldn’t have left you behind.”

“Don’t, its fine. Just don’t worry about it.”

“I should have turned back and been cool and saved you and then I could have held that against you for the rest of your life in addition to your terrible taste in men.”

“We were up against Lotor, who alone would be a formidable opponent, and his generals. The right decision was for you to save yourself and then Voltron was only down one paladin instead of two. It makes sense from a tactical point of view.”

“You sound awful. This isn’t about “being down one instead of two.” This is about you, our teammate. Our…” Lance cuts off, running his hands through his hair. “Our family.”   

“I am just considering what made the most sense in that situation and you escaping made the most sense. It resulted in the least amount of loss for Voltron and the universe.”

“This isn’t just about Voltron, Keith. We aren’t just weapons for the universe.”

Keith opens his mouth and then closes it. How could someone like Lance understand that that is exactly what he is, exactly where his value lies?

“And then we get you back and immediately start accusing you of shit and…”

“Lance…” Lance’s eyes had gone dark though, looking in Keith’s general direction but not quite at him.

“It’s not right. It’s not right and normal Shiro would never treat you this way. I don’t care what anyone says, even you.”

Keith makes eye contact for a moment before dropping his gaze.  

“We should be showering you in love and comfort right now, making sure you are ok, like really ok.”

“No. Everything that is happening or happened to me is a result of my own decisions. I have to bear the consequences on my own.”

“No, that isn’t how this stuff works. We are a team.”

“I am the one who decided to trust Lotor. I brought this on myself and on Voltron. I put myself in this position, with Lotor, with Shiro…”

“Stop…”

“It is all my fault.”

Lance walks over, putting his hand on Keith’s arm. “Keith, listen to me. Nothing Lotor did was your fault.”

“Whatever.” Keith shrugs his hand off, suddenly irritated, suddenly feeling like he could crawl out of his own skin.

Lance’s device beeps a moment later.  

“I need to go.” Lance pauses before leaving and has that look on his face again, one that seems just close enough to pity to make Keith cringe.

“You should go.”

“Right. But once we prove to Shiro that you are innocent, you better prepare to be smothered in love, comfort, and support, mullet.”

*********

Shiro comes and gets him not too long after Lance leaves. He doesn’t cuff him, but Keith still feels trapped, a strong hand on his bicep leading him toward a training room. He finds everyone gathered there, looking at him with serious faces.

“I wanted it to just be me and you but everyone insisted,” Shiro explains.  

“We have the right to watch one of our teammates being questioned,” Lance snaps. He seems angry already, sticking close to Hunk’s side.

“I agree. This affects all of us as a team,” Allura responds.

“So, is everyone digging in my brain today or just Shiro?” Keith asks, trying to sound light, but the tense mood remains.   

“We think everyone would be confusing and a bit too much,” Allura says.  

“I know Keith the best. I should be the one who does it by myself,” Shiro speaks up.

“Allura is the most trained at this type of stuff. She should do it,” Pidge says.

“More than one person can go in. Why not both Allura and Shiro?” Hunk offers.

“Would that be too much for Keith’s brain?” Lance asks.  

“I don’t care who does it. All of you get in here. I have nothing to hide,” Keith grumbles, ready to get this started. He sits down on the ground, grabbing one of the mind meld devices.  

Shiro picks up another one of the devices and sits close to him. “I think it would be best for me to do it, alone.”  

Lance looks upset, stepping forward and opening his mouth before being cut off.

“I think that Shiro and I should do it. Shiro knows Keith the best, but I am the most practiced in this form of mind melding. I can help you, Shiro, while we are in there and we can get to the bottom of this quickly.” Allura smiles at him diplomatically.

Shiro pauses before finally agreeing. “That makes sense.”

Allura joins them, sitting with her own device. Coran stands close, ready to facilitate the process. Pidge, Lance, and Hunk give them a little space, sitting off to the side.

Allura smiles encouragingly at him as she puts the device on her head. “Is there anything you need to tell us before we start?”

Keith sighs, looking at everyone. He doesn’t want to admit certain things, but he knows that Allura and Shiro are about to know anyway.  

“I was unconscious a lot. I am not sure how that will come across in my head.”

“What?”

“I felt like I was with Lotor for much shorter than I actually was. He was drugging me and sometimes keeping me in a pod so I am still not entirely sure how long I was with him and I…I might not remember everything. So just, be aware.”

“So it is safe to say you are missing time?” Shiro asks.

Keith nods.  

“Ok. So it is time to get started…”

“Wait, one more thing.”

And this is what Keith really doesn’t want to admit, especially not with Shiro staring at him with colder eyes than normal and Lance peering from the other side of the room.

He closes his eyes.

“Take your time, Keith,” Allura says.

“I bonded with him.”

Allura sighs. “I feared you might have.” 

“We know you were dating him…you had a bond or whatever,” Lance says quickly, distastefully.  

“This isn’t dating. It is much, much deeper than that,” Allura responds. “It is basically a connection between two people’s quintessence.” Keith refuses to look at anyone.   

“Interesting,” Shiro said, dragging out the beginning syllable of the word.  

Hunk clears his throat. “Pidge and I did research about the Galran culture and species when we first came to space. Bonding was a major part of the dating and marriage section. The books made it sound like soulmates.”

Keith winces.

“Or,” Pidge quickly steps forward, “Not soulmates like our concept of soulmates. More like a connection between two people that forms when enough chemicals and endorphins are released, usually during a moment of extreme intimacy,” Pidge explains.  

Keith pushes down his embarrassment. “Is it an actual connection though? Is it possible that is how Lotor is finding me?” Keith asks.  

“It’s not a GPS or mind control or anything like that. It is more about emotions and feelings. You can sense the one you are bonded to, feel what they are feeling, sometimes even help influence their feelings. But, again, it isn’t mind control or a tracker,” Allura responds.

“Can it be forced?” Shiro asks.

“Not that I know of. It is born of love and a connection freely given,” Allura looks toward Keith, but doesn’t quite make eye contact.

“But not mind control and not forced?” Shiro presses.  

“No,” Allura responds.

“Can it be broken?” Shiro asks.

Allura nods. “One party falling out of love can sever the bond. It can also be broken by lengthy amounts of time and distance spent apart.”     

“But that means Keith loves Lotor?” Shiro continues.

Keith squirms. “Yes, I loved him, ok? Is that what everyone wants to hear? I loved him and he took advantage of that.”

Shiro stares at him. “Not loved. Love him.”

Keith feels pinned down. “I don’t,” he says weakly.  

“Then when we are in your head we will see that the bond is broken?”

“I…I don’t think…I think it is still connected…”

“Ok, Shiro, moving on,” Lance snaps. Shiro ignores him, pressing forward.

“That means you love him, currently. Isn’t that what it means, Keith?”

“It’s complicated, but yeah, I guess that is what that means.”  

“So…”

“Shiro, seriously, it doesn’t matter, just stop,” Lance interrupts again.  

“Lance, if you can’t shut up and let us talk to Keith then I am going to ask you to leave the room.”

Keith blinks in surprise. “Shiro, relax, Lance is just…”

“Interrupting the questioning of someone who may have committed treason against the universe.”

“Shiro, stop. That isn’t what we are doing. This is Keith,” Allura snaps.  

Shiro blinks and then his shoulders sag. There is an awful moment of silence before he speaks again.  

“Keith, I don’t mean that. I am just on edge lately. I am sorry.”

Keith can see Lance, Pidge, and Hunk furiously whispering to each other off to the side.  

“I get it. Just don’t snap at Lance like that. He is just trying to help.”

“Lance, I am sorry,” Shiro calls over his shoulder.  

Lance frowns and nods. Keith can tell Lance is still angry, but he has bigger things to worry about right now.  

“We can begin now. You know how this works, right?” Allura asks.

Keith nods and a moment later he hears one beep and it feels like a normal mind meld session. Then he hears another and he is slipping downward, recognizing the feeling from when he did the deep mind meld with Lotor. He tenses, wondering where he would go since last time he went to Lotor’s nightmare of a brain. He wonders if he would be with the other two as they walk through his memories or if he would visit one of their mental spaces.

When he opens his eyes though, all he see is a beautiful piece of scenery.

There are vibrant, green rolling hills with a bed of pink and purple flowers covering them. In the distance, breathtaking mountains are set against a sky that seems too blue to be real. There is a gentle breeze that smells like honey and the warm sun shines on his face. He assumes this is Allura’s mind space and thanks God that someone on the ship is mentally stable. He walks around the area for a few minutes, but there really isn’t much for him to do, so he lays down, relishing in the space. Time seems to stretch endlessly as he enjoys the gentle sun on his face. Keith doesn’t mind how long they seem to be taking. It had been so long since he could just relax like this, just enjoying the outdoors. He picks up a flower, twirling it in his hands.

He lays back eventually, dozing off, not even noticing when the temperature drops, when the sun falls, when shadows creep in, when a pair of arms wrap around his chest.

“Shhhhh” someone is telling him and Keith can’t quite feel alarmed enough to open his eyes. He eases back into the arms and relaxes. He feels warmth bloom inside him, reaching into his core and clipping something pulled tight inside of him that he didn’t even realize was there before. He melts into the body behind him.

In a split second, the moment is ruined. Keith is suddenly somewhere cold, extremely cold. The ground is hard and his head throbs with pain. He momentarily thinks that he is back with Lotor, that he never really left. He forces his eyes open and sees a blurry figure beside him.   

“What?” he slurs, trying to sit up.  

“Keith, relax, ok? Just lay back and relax.”

It is Hunk, leaning close to him, his mouth pressed into a line. He reaches a hand out like he wants to touch his shoulder, but stops himself.

He realizes he is in the training room. The mind meld device is lying beside him, broken into many little pieces. His mind isn’t working fast enough to figure out what happened. He turns his head and sees Pidge and Coran standing just off to the side, but no one else.

He blinks and looks back at Hunk. “What happened?” The words feel like cotton in his mouth.   

“You had a seizure, buddy. Everything is fine though. Just relax and we will take care of you.”  

“A seizure? I don’t have seizures.”

He ignores Hunk’s suggestions and sits up, feeling destroyed physically. He is exhausted, his hands are shaking. His head feels strange.

“What really happened?” He repeats.

Hunk looks like he might start crying. “It was a seizure, like I said. Or an episode of some sort. Do you think you are good to go to the med bay and have Coran check you out?”

“I am fine. I don’t need a med center.”

He tries to stand up, pushing his way past Hunk’s extended hand, but almost immediately wobbles and falls backward.

“Keith, med bay. Now.” Pidge says in a tone that indicates she is not making a request.

Coran and Hunk help him to his feel, lending him a shoulder while he shakily makes his way to the med bay.  

Keith doesn’t understand what happened. He remembers being so happy and calm in Allura’s mind space and now he is on a table and Coran is checking his pupils while explaining that mind melds should never cause reactions like that.   

“Where are the others?” Keith asks, realizing that it is a bit strange for them not to be here when he apparently just had some sort of medical emergency.

Hunk and Pidge look at each other. Coran raises an eyebrow.  

“Don’t worry about that, #4,” Coran responds.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Pidge sighs. “Lance and Shiro started to argue when we realized something was wrong with you.”

“Argue?”

“It became physical,” she continues.

“What?” Keith gasps.

“I mean, they didn’t actually get into a fight but there was some pushing and then Hunk kicked them both out…It was actually kind of awesome,” Pidge continues, looking at Hunk during the last part.  

“And then when you were resting we sent Allura to make sure they weren’t killing each other or that Lance wasn’t pouting too hard,” Hunk adds.  

Keith’s mind is reeling. Shiro and Lance had fought? A sick feeling settles in his stomach. He thought coming back to Voltron would solve everything, but everything seems to be spiraling down a path that Keith can’t control.

“Ready for the pod?” Coran asks, interrupting his thoughts. He considers refusing, but Pidge and Hunk are glaring at him from behind Coran’s back. He sighs and nods.  

 

**********

Keith is scanned and put in a pod, but ultimately there are no firm answers for what happened. Coran has no idea why he had a seizure. As Coran is winding down his explanation, the team walks in including Shiro and Lance carefully keeping their distance from one another.

There is a moment of silence before Allura speaks. Allura looks determined, jaw set before speaking. 

“Keith, at some point I do think we need to discuss some of what we saw in your head. However, we did not see any evidence of betrayal and I am officially clearing you of any suspicion.”

Keith floods with relief. Everyone looks happy except for Lance, who is eyeing him cautiously. He looks at Shiro apprehensively and sees him nod and smile.

“Well, we all knew that he didn’t betray us.” Lance says, exaggerating the word “knew” before throwing an arm around Keith’s shoulder.

“Now can we…” Lance continues.

“Take him to his room and let him rest. Yes, you can. Keith’s body had quite a shock and even though I am sure he is tired of his room I strongly recommend him laying down for awhile,” Coran interrupts him.

“Yes,” Hunk agrees.

“He says recommend, but that implies choice. Seriously, Keith, you need to rest. Seizures are no joke,” Pidge says.   

And Keith can admit that he still feels drained, even after the pod.

“No force field though?”

Allura shakes her head. “No force field. Just rest and come out whenever you are ready.”

He is escorted to his room by Pidge, Hunk, and Lance and all but tucked in before they leave him.  

He is not there for long though before there is a knock at his door. Before he can respond, Shiro walks in.

“Don’t get up,” he says as Keith starts to climb out of the bed.

Shiro sits on the bed, not facing Keith.

“Keith, how are you feeling? Are you ok?”

“Yeah, just tired.”

“I am sorry for all of that. You understand why I did it though, right?”

“Of course. You were just trying to protect us.”

“Exactly. Voltron is important to the entire universe and it’s up to me to keep it safe. Sometimes I don’t do well under the pressure…” Shiro slouches a bit.

“You do better than any of us could. No hard feelings. I understand.”

 Shiro turns to face him.

“Some of what we saw was difficult to process, Keith.”

Keith cringes and nods. “I’m sorry.”

“I just don’t understand some of what we saw…”

“Then talk to me about it. I want…I want to explain. I want you to understand.” Shiro had always been the one to understand him, to help him understand himself, even back at the Garrison.

“You were in a relationship with him even after he kidnapped you. We saw a lot of stuff and not all of it was him hurting you. Some of it was you hurting him. Other times it was quite romantic.”

“Romantic?”

“You watched _The Lion King_ with the entire group and had a great time. Shared popcorn on the couch with Lotor’s arm around you. Not that long ago, in fact. We also saw you lounging in Lotor’s bed, eating Cheetos and watching soap operas.”

For some reason, that is more embarrassing than anything else.

“It’s complicated. They locked me in a room for a long time. There wasn’t much else to do.” But could he have done more? 

“It seems simple to me. What I saw was a dysfunctional relationship, one where the abuse went both ways.”

There is a moment of silence while the words sink deep inside Keith, take root, make themselves at home.

“That isn’t fair,” he responds.

“We watched you have sex with him on a training room floor. That happened recently too. He didn’t force you to do that.”

Keith can’t exactly argue. The proof is there, in his memories, burned into his body. He had pushed Lotor down to ground, fucked him hard and enjoyed it.

“I can’t…I don’t know why I did some of the things I did…”

“Why didn’t you kill him when you had the chance? He gave you a blade. You could have at least incapacitated him.”

Keith gives the only answer he can give. “I don’t know.”

It would have been so easy. Lotor had given him a chance. Armed him. Let him hold a blade to his body. Put his life in Keith’s hands. Why didn’t he just kill him? Why didn’t he just end this?

“You made the choice not to kill him. You made a choice to stay. You didn’t even try to escape that time.”

“That isn’t…” Keith wants to say it isn’t technically true. That isn’t what was going through his head. But, he doesn’t understand what he was thinking. Everything had become so muddled when he was with Lotor. 

“Were you really a prisoner there or did you choose to stay?”

“I tried to escape…” He did, didn’t he? Did he try hard enough?

“I also saw at least one time that you could have tried to escape when you were alone with one of his generals.”

“But…”

“You consider them your friends, don’t you?”

Keith nods, unthinking.

Shiro smiles and makes direct eye contact. “The bond is intact too. We could feel it. We could see it. He is tied to you and you are tied to him.” 

And Keith knows it is true. He can feel it, deep inside him. 

 “I don’t understand.” He runs a hand through his hair, sweating. “Lotor hurt me…”

“And yet you are still connected to him. Your quintessence, your very life force, is tied to him. Soulmates, didn’t Hunk say?”

Keith feels a chill, a drop of cold sweat dripping down his back. “It’s not like you can just flip a switch and start hating someone. It doesn’t work like that. I did love him. He was my first... My first real romantic relationship. I don’t understand…”

“It’s ok, Keith.” Shiro’s voice softens. He puts a gentle hand on his shoulder. “But you can see why, right? Why I still have some questions?”    

Keith nods dumbly.

“We can talk more later, try to figure things out together, yeah?”

“Yes, of course.”

“I am happy you see my side of things. I knew you would want to help me.”

And then he is gone, leaving Keith shivering on the bed.

********

Keith lays awake that night, despite being desperately tired, thinking about the conversation between him and Shiro. Despite everything and all of his worries about his connection to Lotor, being back at the Castle is relaxing. He can hear the gentle night noises of the ship around him and it feels like home. Suddenly, there is an odd click though and everything goes dark. It is never pitch black even at night and the gentle humming of the ship stops. Even the air that flows through the vents stops completely. It is unsettling. The dark stillness feels unnatural. He sits for a few minutes, knowing something is wrong. He hears some feet running down the hallway, yet remains tucked in his room. Finally, he cannot stand it anymore and walks out into the hallway, eyes unable to adjust to the extreme darkness. It feels like someone threw a heavy black blanket over the entire Castle.  

As he stands there, he vaguely gets the feeling that he is not alone. There is a presence. A feeling more than something tangible. He freezes, desperately trying to see, but the darkness stretches everywhere, staining everything. He doesn’t even really feel real himself. Like the darkness has made him fade, made him an apparition rather than a person. He is suddenly terrified while simultaneously angry at himself for that. He is, or used to be a paladin. He shouldn’t be afraid of the dark. He stands, rigid, praying that Lance would say something or Hunk would hug him and then everything would be ok. He clenches his fists near his side, willing the irrational terror down, swallowing it. He stares in the direction of where he can sense the presence of someone else, determined not to let his own fear overtake him.  

There is a quick flash of yellow and then he feels like he is alone again.

“Hello?” He calls down the hallway tentatively.  

The lights click back on a moment later and Keith looks up and down the empty hallway, stomach clenched, arms wrapped around his body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to GOD I wrote the line where Shiro snaps at Lance BEFORE I saw Season 5. I died when I saw that scene. Like, the context is obviously completely different, but I felt like I was seeing what I imagined come to life LOL. 
> 
> I don't know how many people remember, but I was one of those people who hated Season 4 and almost dropped my fics because of how much I hated it. I just felt like maybe I am not a Voltron fan anymore. But, I....LOVED Season 5. I don't even know why I liked it so much more, but I did. It makes me want to write even more fics lmao. 
> 
> The biggest surprise was them selling me on Allura and Lotor. They were a NOTP for me before this season though I will admit that is mostly because of how he acted toward her in other Voltron versions. So, he is rapey and gross in most of the versions before VLD. Anyway, that was spoiled for me and I was like, ug, I hate it, worst pairing ever, on par with Sakura and Sasuke...but then actually watching it? Holy shit they have chemistry. They had more chemistry than any other pairing or possible pairing in the entire show (excluding Hunk and Shay who I think are actually dating?). 
> 
> I feel like they aren't going to end up together, but yeah, jesus, I am proud of this team for writing a couple that actually has chemistry because that is one of my long-standing complaints with this team all the way back to Avatar. Seriously, there is a couple in Avatar that makes me physically uncomfortable thinking about them together (even though I love both characters separately!). Like, yassssss they finally figured out how to create romantic chemistry!!!! Holy shit!! 
> 
> Ok I am rambling lol.

**Author's Note:**

> Visit my Tumblr by clicking below!
> 
> <http://furiouskanekicollector.tumblr.com/>


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